The Juggalo
by OtakuMagicGirl
Summary: Gamzee Makara is a man of deals. A member of the gang called Trolls, he sells Faygo illegally and puts a bullet in anyone he doesn't trust. Enter Tavros Nitram, a new police cop who's first assignment is to rat out any information on the Trolls. With two sides in a war of law, what will happen when Gamzee and Tavros cross paths? Blood shed? Friendship? Love...?
1. Prologue

The Land of Brains and Fire, the land where all deals are made and concealed. Black slick tentacles wiggle out of the brain grounds, reaching for a dark rosewood sky. Deals of trade, equivalent exchange, and Faygo all take place here.

Faygo is the wicked elixir, the alcohol of Alternia. Everyone drank it, especially the high class and rich. When it was banned, people went insane. Protests and riots ripped Alternia apart, causing chaos and anarchy. People tried hallucinogens, money, the pure ecstasy of sex, but none of it could be the same as the bubbly forbidden drink flowing down a dry desperate throat.

Under the slimy tentacle lamp off of the corner of Smarts Street and Amber Avenue, stands a man, Gamzee Makara. A man who wears nothing but royal purple and betrayal black, stripes in the coat and tie, polka dots in the pants and fedora. His black hair curls out of the fedora, needing a good wash. With clown paint plastered on his sinister face, this man has placed himself in the Faygo business: Illegal Marketing Division. If you need a frosty brew straight out of the forbidden factory, he is your man. For a reasonable price, of course.

The regular customer saunters in, as Gamzee fixes his tie. His sneaky smile turned into a threatening frown. "Hey, bro," Gamzee husks out. "Ya got my money?"

The customer tries to stay calm, counting his money as if he were counting his last days. Twenty, thirty, forty… It wasn't enough. Once again the money is short, not enough to buy the number of bottles he craves. What will he do?

"I-I, uh-"

"Is that a no?" Gamzee reaches for his back, where his Colt M1911A1 named "Honk" was stored. When its trigger is pulled, it glitches a honk loud enough for anyone three feet away to turn their head and question.

The customer panics. "No! I have the money!"

"You better." Gamzee brings his hand back, gun less.

"Here, forty dollars for two bottles," the buyer utters, as he hands the dirty money into the dealer's sinful hands. "Now, give me the Fay-"

"Shhh!" Gamzee slams the doomed buyer into the tentacle lamp, cutting off the circulation between head and body with his elbow. Air was quickly escaping, and blocked off from the poor sap's lungs from oxygen. He clawed Gamzee's arm in desperation. Gamzee looked around. Brains, fire, tentacles, dark, but luckily no witnesses. Gamzee tightens the push.

"I wouldn't be saying shit like that out loud without thinking first, bro. It just might get you into a… tight spot."

The airless man nods his worthless head in understanding. Gamzee backs away and lets the customer catch his breath.

"This is the last time you fuck up an order, bastard." Gamzee sneers as he walks back into the darkness. His work here was done. He came, he threatened, he didn't get full payment, and he now exeunts.

But not without firing a bullet in the man's head.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Tavros Nitram walks up to the Alternian Police Station in The Land of Thought and Flow. The building itself is rather tall, covered in windows and teal blue bricks that stretch up to the heavens. Nervously fixing his orange-brown police uniform, Tavros walks into a vast lobby of people. Streams of light brighten the dark tiled floor and bland colored walls. Citizens of Alternia, in all kinds of suits and uniforms, scurry around in an urgent shuffle. A cluster over here argue on a recent case, a couple over there get ready for an interrogation in room 213. Brining justice to the lands is not an easy job!

Tavros cannot believe he is here, standing in the pinnacle of justice. All those painful years of law school and training has brought him to this glorious moment. He can finally stop the illegal evil in these lands and save the innocent.

The newest member of Alternian Law wanders up to the main desk, a wooden structure surrounding a man who is wearing a pair of glasses. One of the lens is Google Red, the other Microsoft Blue. He furiously types a long memo on his computer. The crooked name tag on his half red half blue uniform reads "Sollux Captor".

"Uh, excuse me?" Tavros murmurs. "I'm looking for-"

Sollux turns angrily at the newcomer. "What do you want, asshole?!" he lisps. "Can't you see I'm busy as hell over here? There are a million memos I have to get out to the other workers, and I don't have time to waste listening to a mumbling pain in my ass!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Tavros apologizes.

"Yeah! You should be sorry! There could be a cold blooded killer, with sharp blades and firing guns, on the loose in the Land of Sand and Zephyr that the force doesn't know about. Gee! Why don't they know about it? Because a whispering weakling stole the time I needed to type the memo!"

"Is there a killer?! The Land of Sand and Zephyr is where I live!"

"I don't know, dumbass! I can't research the case files and citizen reports if you keep standing there bombarding me with questions like an annoying snot filled child!"

"What is going on here?" a quirky voice questions. Tavros turns around to see a woman in a garden green lab coat and denim jeans covered with painted flowers. Her black circular glasses tilt slightly under her bright green eyes, making her look geek chic. The words sewn on her right chest pocket read "Jade Harley".

Sollux complains as he points at Tavros, "This waste of space right here is distracting me from my work! He keeps asking me questions and won't shut up! Nobody seems to get the fact that I am busy here!"

"Sollux, it's not nice to call someone who needs help a 'waste of space'."

"Just get him out of here! God!" He goes back to work.

Jade leads Tavros to the center of the lobby, out of harm's way. "I apologize for his attitude. He gets grumpy when he doesn't hear back from his boyfriend for a week. Can I help you?"

Tavros fixes his police hat. "Uh, well I-I'm the newest member of the team, and-"

"Oh! You're the new guy! Follow me; I'll lead you to the leader," Jade giggles. The two of them travel into a long hallway with side by side doors. Some doors had windows that view the room they were attached to, like a portal. In one room, Tavros sees a man with square glasses and buck teeth arguing with a man in shades and swag. The only bits of the conversation Tavros can hear is "lame", "awesome", and "Nick Cage". He probably should stay away from those two.

"So, new guy! Welcome to the police force! I'm Jade. It's nice to meet you!"

Tavros feels overwhelmed by Jade's kindness. Finally, someone is nice to him today! "Hi, I'm Tavros. It's really nice to meet you too," He mumbles.

Jade winces. "You seem tense. Don't worry! You'll get along with all of us just fine!"

"Uh, ok. Sure." Tavros is doubtful.

Jade stops in front of door number 1 at the very end of the hallway. There are emoticons drawn on the door with red and blue chalk. A prank, maybe? Slowly opening with a squeak, the two enter a dark room with limited lighting and the succulent scent of cherries. Dragon-like stuffed animals dangle from the high ceiling by rope, as if they are criminals from the gallows. Is this another prank?

"Ms. Pyrope, the new guy is here. His name is Tavros!" Jade pushes the shy Tavros in front of a doodled-on work desk.

"Tavros Nitram," a raspy nasal tone calls. "I have been waiting for you impatiently." The lights flicker on with the snap of two fingers, and a woman appears siting at the desk. She wears a dark teal police chief uniform, with dragon pins stabbed into the fabric of her hat. Black strands hang down above her shoulders, where the scent of cherries is strongest. Her black lips spread to reveal a psychotic grin. "I am Terezi Pyrope, the head police chief."

A moment of silence places.

"Jade, be a dear and leave us alone for a while? You can give Mr. Nitram a tour of the building once I am done with him. Make sure his cubical is ready. Oh! And I want my daily strawberry slushy."

With an "Ok, boss!" Jade is out the door and off to get the frozen treat. Tavros sits down nervously in a big red chair in front of Terezi's desk.

"Tavros," Terezi snarls. "Do you understand the ways of Alternian Law?"

"Yes, Ms. Pyrope. I went to school for-"

"What is the punishment for when a man corners a woman in an ally way and sexually assaults her?" Terezi quizzes.

Tavros thought about this for a moment, glancing at the hanging dragons. "Um, I believe it is…death by hanging."

"Correct. What about if a man commits murder?"

"Hmm… that's death by hanging too."

"Robbery?"

"Hanging."

"Vandalism?"

"Hanging!"

"Possession or selling of Faygo?"

"…Excuse me?"

Terezi sighs in disappointment. "Why do they not teach this nowadays?" She stands next to Tavros and begins to explain. "Faygo is a drink that was banned years ago. The drinks, while most liked the taste, made people ruin their lives and lose their jobs. They were drunk with greed and Faygo, becoming constantly intoxicated to the point where their deaths came early. Our government believed if the soda became illegal, people would stop drinking it and eventually get sober. Unfortunately, it only made matters worse."

Tavros becomes curious. "Worse?"

Terezi points to the back wall with a tightening jaw. "There is a notorious gang out there, called "The Trolls". They travel to each of the lands, trading and selling Faygo illegally. We assume the leader got the recipe somehow, and has a secret factory somewhere that we can't seem to find. I have been tracking that bastard group down for years, and I have yet to catch them red handed. I swear to god…" Terezi clenches her fist, "as long as the law stands, I will catch that gang and send them to the ropes."

Tavros gulps.

"I need you, Tavros, to become part of the side of justice, and help us in cleansing the lands of evil. Those who fail to follow such laws," Terezi points her index finger upwards, "will end up like my clan of scalemates here, dangling to their doom. Do you understand?"

The lands are in chaos and hell, all because of an illegalized drink? Is Faygo really that bad? And what else is there to be known about these "Trolls"? There was only one way to get to the bottom of this. Tavros hadn't come here for nothing. "I understand, Ms. Pyrope."

"Good!" Terezi goes to her desk and searches blindly for a shiny silver badge. After a moment of licking it clean, she tosses the slimy badge to Tavros. He drops it in disgust, but cleans it up quickly and pins it to his uniform. Eww.

"Welcome to the force, Tavros Nitram."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Headquarters: A dark, musty place of secrets and soda, splattered with blacks and blues on the outside. It's placed in the Land of Pulse and Haze, above the sea of red and beside the jagged rocks. Parties, meetings, business, they all take place here under the gang Trolls.

After one last gulp of Grape, Gamzee tosses the Faygo container into the red sea and ambles in. Work is done for today. Now it is time to rest up.

The factory hisses and shouts bellow a long platform to the elevator, as more frosty-brew bubbles in black cracked cauldrons. Workers stress and manufacture, adding and stirring the mixes in haste. They're desperation to not get punished by the higher ups does add a nice touch to the place.

Gamzee inhales the sweet aromas of fruit. "It's so good to be home!"

A worker scrambles towards Gamzee. "S-Sir!" he stutters. "The boss wants to see you!"

"Does he now? …Alright, I'll see him. I miss hanging out with that motherfucker."

"He didn't seem happy…"

"Oh? Maybe it's because you fuckers are not doing a good job!" Gamzee glances at each and every worker. "Look at you lowlifes, not being able to work fast enough to meet demands! You're all nothing but a bunch of slackers! If I don't see another thousand bottles ready to sell, all of your paychecks this month will be ripped to shreds!"

The workers gasp. They just had a paycheck cut last month too!

"Now get to work." Gamzee takes Honk out of his pocket and shoots a bullet into a blinking light from the ceiling. Scurry after scurry, workers bash and crash to box more bottles. Can they rebel? No. It's work, or death.

Gamzee presses the button "69" in the elevator as Honk rests in the back pocket. Gamzee sighs as he remembers the buyer in the Land of Brains and Fire. He probably had a beautiful wife, faithful friends, maybe even a few smart kids that make him so proud to be their dad. A whole bright future of happiness and company. Why did he kill that customer? Was it really necessary? He could have spared him another week, save a lot more work for Eridan to do, and a lot more yelling from the boss. God, Gamzee needs to slam another drink or he is going to feel things a Troll should never feel. Business is business, and business is selling drinks and shooting crooks.

The elevator stops. It opens to a lair, where the big man himself sits in a leather loveseat. Karkat Vantas, the leader of the Trolls and the highest of the dealers. His short black hair hangs over his restless eyes as he hooks his scrawny arm around a skimpy bitch with an eye patch. Covered in black and grey stripe duds, he glares at Gamzee.

Vriska, the skimpy bitch, giggles as she tries to steal a lustful kiss from the boss. Her blue painted lips pucker as her blue skank dress rises up. Karkat swishes Vriska away, as she pouts in disappointment.

Eridan is on the other side of Karkat, skimming through his iPhone 4S in distress. His wizard purple cape drapes over his uptight shoulders as he clicks past messages and emails. Biting his bottom lip, he gazes up and sees Gamzee. "Well," he stutters. "if it isn't the murder spree, coming back to scrape the blood out of his hands! Don't you know how hard it is to clean up after you?"

"I could only imagine." Gamzee grabs a seat and relaxes.

"It's hard. Very hard. It takes a lot of science to completely remove your evidence! Try not killing every person you see for once!"

"Ignore him, Gamzee~," Vriska interrupts. "Those commoners are probably better off dead! It's a good thing to put them out of their misery. Well, after you steal their loot that is."

"Hey! Who said you can talk, whore?" Eridan snaps.

"Oh pardon me! I didn't know you were still in a bad mood! Did your boyfriend dump you yet?" Vriska tosses her long shaggy black hair.

"We did not break up! He's just… he doesn't understand how busy I am at work! I hardly have time to chat with him anymore, because of this whole dealership! I clean up evidence, keep records straight-"

"Jerk off to your sex tape~!"

"Enough!" Karkat roars. The whole room's noise gets killed with a knife of silence. Karkat lifts a threatening finger and points at the elevator. "You two get out of here! I don't want to hear any more of your shit when I have business to discuss."

"I'm so sorry, master! Eri-dork is being pissy again."

"I am not!"

"Just. Get. Out!" Karkat demands. The two bickering Trolls leave the lair. Gamzee statues in his leather seat, poker clown face and all. Karkat is going to yell at him for committing murder again, isn't he?

"Gamzee, you killed another customer."

Yup.

"One of Faygo's buyers, and yet you shot him to death. Are you too trigger-happy to realize that the more customers you kill, the less money we make?" Karkat messages his temples. "We're losing money fast! Can't the pink mushy thing in your sick head comprehend that?"

"I stole the money that was on him, plus the money he paid me." The clown tosses a wallet forward. A couple of dollar bills peek out of the satin slot.

"That's not enough."

"It's better than nothing."

"Gamzee, we need more!"

"I'll get more."

"How?"

Gamzee stands to defend his argument. "I'll round up new buyers, get the word out. You know that new club down the street? They just opened up. Lots of new suckers will walk in waiting for excitement, something to take them out of this world and into a new fantasy. That's where I come in." A grin sparkles on Gamzee's face. He spots an empty Faygo bottle on the ground and kicks it to Karkat. The boss stares at the plastic in thought. Could this work? Maybe those people are hungrier, richer, stupider… "What if you get caught?"

Honk makes a special appearance in front of Karkat's face.

"…Alright. Go drum up some business, and don't you dare fail me."

Gamzee strides to the elevator. He turns back to his crabby boss and says, "I wouldn't dream of it, my lord."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"And this here is the department's lab! Since I am a forensic scientist, I get evidence from crime scenes and then analyze them to see how and when the person was killed. I can also detect any chemical in any corpse, deadly or safe! Some people say it's a dull job, and that only complete nerds do it as a profession, but I think it's really neat! I mean, I can use technology like magic and help people! Well, dead people, but still people!"

Tavros zones out of Jade's ramblings and seeks around the wide technological space. Metal bar shelves are cluttered with chemical containers, plastic boxes of all square sizes, and a few hand sanitizer bottles placed together. White is shown throughout most of the room, on the walls and heavy machinery. Multiple work benches are placed in rows, waiting for their scientists to preform chemical discovery on their smooth surface. Electrical wires weave in and out of every floor tile and wall plug in. Everything is so clean, as if the building's janitors burst in and clean everything in the room every five minutes. Even the air is clean! Not a cloud of smoky tobacco to choke anyone. This is nothing compared to Tavros's childhood.

"Tavros, are you ignoring me?" Jade asks, hurt.

"What? No! I was just looking around! This lab is huge." Tavros points to a cube-like device with assorted buttons and one small screen on the front. "What does this thing do?"

"That's a printer!"

"…Oh."

"It prints things from my laptop onto blank sheets of paper."

"I, uh, know what a printer does."

"Then why did you ask about it?"

Tavros blushes in frustration. He was never one to have excellent communication skills. The only person he would ever talk to was Ruffioh.

Jade laughs. "It's ok, Tavros. I know you're nervous. How about we go to the break room and have a coffee?"

With a nod of agreement, the two travel to the break room, a small rest area for employees to relax and bitch out. Jade goes to the snack area and grabs two cups of caffeine free goodness. Tavros picks out a small wooden table at the farthest corner in the room, away from groups of tall men who look like they can break his neck with the flick of a finger.

"So tell me about yourself Tavros," Jade says as she sets down the cups and sits down. "What do you like?"

"U-Um…"

"Do you like animals?"

Tavros nods and sips. "I feel like I can communicate with them in a way. I guess I understand animals more than humans. Uh… that was a stupid thought, I guess."

"Not at all! Sometimes I bring my dog Bec to work and he helps with the officers out in the field. It's like he knows what they are looking for and he sets out to find it. With that nose of his, he usually finds it."

"You have a dog? I love dogs!"

"Me too!"

The two animal lovers then began to chat. Their conversation goes from Bec's cute moments at Jade's house to Tavros's allergy to cats. As much as he thinks they are cute, he does not like how they make him sneeze a lot. Talking with Jade is making Tavros more comfortable.

"Do you have any siblings?"

Tavros fell silent. He hasn't talked about his family in years. Jade senses the mood and lets her co-worker know he doesn't have to talk about it.

Deep breaths, Tavros. "…When I was twelve, my parents got divorced. They gave up my older brother and me to the streets, because they didn't have enough money to keep either of us. My brother did whatever he could to support me and him. He even worked two jobs. When I got old enough to work, I did too. We eventually got a house and I started to go to community college. My brother always told me I would be the one to get an education." Tavros lets out a small laugh as Jade listens carefully.

"One day I came home from class, and I saw my brother. He was lying on the ground." His voice shakes a little. "I tried to wake him up, but when I turned him over… there were small holes everywhere, and so much blood... He was shot to death."

Jade gasps, her green eyes watering up.

Tavros calms down. "The police and doctors did nothing to help me. Why would they? I was so poor back then. After college I decided to become a police officer, so no one else would have to lose their older brother like I did."

Jade wipes the tears away from her eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be. It was nice to get it off my chest."

"What was his name?"

"Ruffioh… Ruffioh Nitram."

"He must have been a great man."

Tavros drinks his coffee like an alcoholic on a bar stool. "Yeah… yeah he was."

Jade receives a text. She reads it.

_Hey Jade!  
I heard the new guy came into work today. You should introduce him to us soon! Dave says we should all go out tonight. Go celebrate like its "fucking Christmas up in here". Does Matesprit's sound good to you? Bring along the new guy if ya can!_

_~John_

"Oh, neat! My friends are going out tonight, and they invited us!" Jade gets excited. She loves it when she can hang out with all of her friends.

"Us?" Tavros has been invited to an outing?

Jade sips her coffee. "Don't worry! They're all nice people."

"But-"

"Come on, Tavros! We'll get drinks, dance, mingle! It'll be fun!"

Tavros is not convinced. "I don't know…"

Jade leans in closer so no one else can hear. "It would be a good opportunity to get information. You could find a Faygo dealer there and bust him! That will give you extra points with the boss, and maybe even a cash bonus. Ms. Pyrope always pays extra to busting."

If you bust a dealer your recognition with the boss will increase, just as your paycheck will, and the justice in Alternia will stand! But what if things get violent? Tavros does not like violence, even though he knew that going into the police force would require violence. Maybe there was a peaceful way to go about this? Just ask the guy to stop selling an illegal drink that will eventually ruin people's lives and sanity? Chances of that working are really slim, but it's worth a shot! If worse comes to worse, you will use violence and get him in jail. Wait, do not think of it as violence. Dub it "self-defense", so you won't feel so conscience-stricken.

Tavros puts on his relaxed face. "Ok, I'll go."

Jade stands and claps her pale hands together. "Great! Come with me after work." she grabs Tavros's cold hand. "We'll go to the mall and get you a new outfit for tonight!"

"A new outfit?"


End file.
